TACLOBAN CITY – Over 30 children from Barangay Barruz in Matuguinao town, Samar received gifts from the local police and the Junior Chamber International Tacloban Love, Inc. (JCI).
The gift-giving activity, held last Saturday (March 5) and dubbed as “Barangayanihan Caravan and MaTOYguinao Uyagan Kalipayan” benefited more than 30 day care pupils from Brgy. Barruz.
The children, aside from receiving gifts and foods, also were taught on oral hygiene and handwashing.
The personnel from the Rural Health Office also conducted deworming, measles vaccination, weighing, and giving of vitamins to the participating children.
Barruz barangay chairman Sofriano Guldo expressed his gratitude to the groups, for visiting their village and conducting their gift-giving activity.
JCI president Marielle Valenzona thanked the local officials of Barruz, and to the personnel of the Matuguinao police office, under the leadership of Captain Orlando Cañada, for helping them make the activity successful.
Valenzona added that they hope to return to the village and do a different project for the community.
Also joining the activity were personnel of the 12SAB 123rd SAC PNP Special Action Force, and members of the Sirak Kabataan.
(ROEL T. AMAZONA)
Children in Samar town received gifts from JCI Tacloban
LPA causes suspension of classes and works in Tacloban
Heavy rains also affected other areas in EV
TACLOBAN CITY- A low pressure area (LPA) has spawned heavy rains in different parts of the region over the weekend and on Monday(March 7), resulting in flooding and cancellation of works and classes.
Here in Tacloban City, Mayor Alfred Romualdez issued an executive order suspending all classes and work, both in public and private entities, due to the heavy rains.
Romualdez, however, said that offices under the city government like those involved in the peace and order maintenance, risk reduction management, health, sanitation, and traffic management are not included in the work suspension order.
Affected by the executive order of the city mayor were the vaccination campaign and the reopening of face-to-face classes in 46 elementary and secondary schools in Tacloban.
Earlier, the city schools division announced on the readiness for the resumption of in-person classes, more than two years after the face-to-face classes were suspended due to the pandemic caused by coronavirus disease(COVID-19).
Private banks based in the city remained open while the two branches of the government-owned Land Bank of the Philippines-Tacloban branch were closed.
The mayors of the nearby towns of Palo, Tanauan, and Alangalang, all in Leyte, and in Caibiran, Biliran province also suspended works and classes in their respective municipalities due to the heavy rains.
In Northern Samar, flooding incidents were reported to have hit the towns of Lope de Vega, Catubig, San Roque, and the provincial capital of Catarman.
Flooding incidents were also reported in Calbayog City, Samar.
The Catarman (Northern Samar)-Calbayog (Samar) Road was rendered not passable due to the flooding.
Rise of flood water was also reported along the Arteche-Jipapad (Eastern Samar)-Las Navas-Rawis (Northern Samar) Road. (with report Lizbeth Ann A. Abella)
Northern Samar’s agri-entrepreneurs attended gathering initiated by DA, PAO
CATARMAN, Northern Samar- The Provincial Agriculture Office (PAO) together with the regional office of the Department of Agriculture (DA)-Agribusiness and Marketing Assistance Division (DA-AMAD) conducted recently an enterprise development assessment attended by agri-entrepreneurs.
The activity, held last Feb.23, aimed to help sustain agri-business operations in the province, started with an enterprise assessment where producers were made to identify the issues and concerns in their respective ventures; assess the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and Threats (SWOT) of their enterprise; and develop a three-year capacity development plan. It also sought to assess the organizational structure and administration of the association, including policies implemented and systems of operation; marketing and financial aspect, as well as the sustainability of their enterprise.
Spearheaded by the DA-AMAD under the Republic Act 11321 or the Sagip Saka Act, the activity was part of the priority agenda of Governor Edwin Ongchuan dubbed as ‘Sustained PROGRESS,’or ‘Pro-Poor Programs and Agro-Industrial Development.’
(EUGENE M. ENANO)
Half-kilometer flood control soon to protect remote barangays in Oras, E. Samar
BORONGAN CITY– Department of Public Works and Highways Eastern Samar District Engineering Office (DPWH ESDEO) will construct more than half-kilometer of flood control structure to protect remote barangays in Oras, Eastern Samar.
District Engineer Ma. Margarita C. Junia of DPWH ESDEO said that the district office is going to implement two flood control structure projects for Brgy. Gamot and Brgy. Cagpile, Oras.
“We will implement this year the construction of flood control in Brgy. Gamot with a length of 310 meters with an appropriation of P100 million and in Brgy. Cagpili with a length of 205 meters amounting to P50 million,” said DE Junia.
On January 20, 2022, DE Junia together with other DPWH ESDEO heads inspected the location of the projects and witnessed the impact of soil erosion in the barangays.
“According to the barangay officials in Brgy. Gamot, three houses and barangay roads were already damaged and vanished because of soil erosion,” said DE Junia.
She also added that once the projects are completed, it will protect the lives and properties of the locals, especially those who are living along the riverside.
“The flood control structure will also preserve and protect the land area of the two barangays which decreases annually because of scouring caused by the strong current of the river, particularly during bad weather,” she also added.
DPWH Eastern Samar DEO has already issued a notice to proceed dated February 7, 2022 for the construction of flood control projects in Cagpile and Gamot has not yet started because the fund of the projects is categorized as for later release.(PR)
DOT seeks ‘volunteer’ divers to help revive tourism of typhoon-hit Southern Leyte
TACLOBAN CITY – Part of the strategy of the Department of Tourism(DOT) to revive the diving activities in the province of Southern Leyte after it suffered a major blow from Typhoon ‘Odette’ is to look for divers who would want to do volunteer works.
DOT-8 Regional Director Karina Rosa Tiopes said although the province’s tourism industry was badly hit by Odette last year, stakeholders are working hard to revive the sector, particularly the diving activities.
“We are looking for divers who would want to become volunteer tourists. Meaning, they will go there for diving activity and they will also have to participate in activities for reviving the tourism industry of the province like clean-up drive,” she said.
“They will go there not only for leisure but with a purpose of reviving the diving industry of the province and the tourism activity in the community,” Tiopes added.
Diving shops in Southern Leyte particularly those located in Padre Burgos town are planning to have their soft opening this month and will be welcoming foreign tourists starting this April.
They are expecting foreign tourists from Europe and North American countries who will be staying in the province for about two weeks.
Dive shops located along Sogod Bay had finished repairing their areas and were able to buy new boats that are essential when providing diving activities.
In an earlier interview, Philip Mcquire, owner of Sogod Bay Scuba Resort, said that they had received many inquiries not only on when they will resume their operations but also on how they can help in restoring the diving activities and typhoon-affected communities in their place.
“We’re having lots of inquiries now. People wanted to come back not just to dive but also help, to see, to look, and be involved,” Mcquire said.
Moreover, asked on the preparedness of the tourism sector in accepting tourists after more than two years of not operating due to travel restriction, “as far as the popular tourism site they are relatively ready,” Tiopes replied.
She added that they regularly and constantly remind tourism players on policies and protocols set by the national government that needs to be followed while the country is still facing the problem on Covid-19 pandemic.
“The tourism officers in every local government unit also knows what they need to do and they also do monitoring at tourism facilities and destinations in their respective areas,” Tiopes added.
(ROEL T. AMAZONA)